Germany gets 26% of power from renewable energy

During the first half of 2012, the share of renewable energy sources in the electricity supply has risen significantly in Germany, rising to a sensational 25.97%

The US was at 14% renewable energy in first half of 2011, with the largest segment being hydro power. Yes, hydro.

California doesn’t include big hydro as being renewable energy partly because of political machinations and also due to the deleterious effects of big dams (they devastate the local environment and can contribute to earthquakes.)  Geothermal is also a major source of renewable energy in the US. Wind is 3% of total US power with solar, I think, a bit less.

The major emphasis on renewable energy in the U.S. is wind and solar but hydro and geothermal do all the heavy lifting.

But even in Germany, fossil fuels account for over half the total power. We all still have a ways to go!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.